Week 11: Measurement

Big ideas

This week was all about the concept of measurement. Measurement is of important significance in our everyday lives, with Reys et a. (2020), identifying measurement as the concept from the primary mathematics curriculum that is used the most directly in students’ lives. We use measurement for areas such as time, temperature and money, and other real-life situations, like finding the number of tiles needed to cover a bathroom. The concept of any measurement is counting units.




Teaching sequence for measurement:

1. Identify the concept and make sure students understand the attribute they are measuring e.g. area, length

2. Choose an appropriate unit of measurement for the attribute being measured

3. Measure object using chosen unit

4. Record the number of units



Concept

A focus on length: This concept, like any other measurement concept, needs to be taught using the 4-step teaching sequence mentioned above. An appropriate unit of measurement should be chosen based on the stage of the language model the students are up to. When they reach the materials stage, they should be using Non-standard units which include things such as body parts (e.g. hand spans, stride lengths) and classroom or kitchen materials (e.g. pencils, paper clips, cups, spoons) (QCAA, 2005). Once they are at the mathematics stage, standardised units should be used, such as rulers and trundle wheels.

(Jamieson-Proctor, 2021)

Misconception

A misconception identified in measurement is children using a ruler incorrectly (Reys et al., 2020). Children often believe when measuring an object, that you start measuring from the very edge of the ruler, and not from the zero. This is a misconception I never would have thought about, as I do not remember having trouble with this as a child, but I can see why children may think this if not explicitly taught. As a teacher, I will need to ensure I am teaching this simple rule explicitly, as well as other measuring devices to catch these types of misconceptions early.


ACARA:

Algebra (patterns) is first seen in the Australian curriculum in foundation year (ACMMG006)

Strand: Measurement and geometry
Sub-strand: Using units of measurement


(ACARA, 2021)

Scootle

This engaging video is a great resource for showing children that you cannot judge a container by its height when it comes to volume. It includes a real-life demonstration where the man fills up different sized cylinders with beads to prove this, as well as further explanation of measuring volume with some diagrams and animations.

(ABC Education, 2018)


Personally sourced

This is a fun activity for kids to explore measurement with a partner, where they take turns measuring their friend’s arm, leg, and hand with cubes, or other non-standard units, and then record these measurements.




References

ABC Education. (2018). Volume and surface areas. https://education.abc.net.au/home#!/media/2951668/volumes-and-surface-areas

ACARA. (2021). Mathematics. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/mathematics/

Jamieson-Proctor, R. (2021). EDMA241/262. Mathematics Learning and Teaching 1: Week 11 Part 1 (slide 15). Australian Catholic University

Reys, R., Lindquist, M., Lambdin, D., Smith, N., Rogers, A., Cooke, A., Ewing, B., & West. J. (2020). Helping children learn Mathematics (3rd Australian ed.). Milton: John Wiley & Sons.

Rycroft, E. (2021). 22 Measurement activities for kids at home or in the classroom.
https://proudtobeprimary.com/measurement-activities/

QCAA. (2005). About measurement. https://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/downloads/p_10/kla_maths_info_measurement.pdf






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